


Letting Go and Holding On

by angelus2hot



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Angst, Community: 1_million_words, Community: fandomhits, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Mutually Unrequited, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 10:44:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11598996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: Seth knows he's not good enough for Kate so he let's her go. It takes Richie's unique brand of wisdom to make Seth realize he's made the biggest mistake of his life.





	Letting Go and Holding On

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Letting Go and Holding On  
>  **Fandom:** From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Seth Gecko/Kate Fuller  
>  **Rating:** Mature  
>  **Word Count:** 1,642  
>  **Summary:** Seth knows he's not good enough for Kate so he let's her go. It takes Richie's unique brand of wisdom to make Seth realize he's made the biggest mistake of his life.  
>  **A/N:** written for the [Pool Party Challenge](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/2071028.html) at 1_million_words and for 'Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw' for my [playlist](http://angelus2hot.livejournal.com/687125.html) for fandomhits

With wide eyes Kate looked at the hotel they were sitting in front of. “Is this a job? Do you want me to go and check it out.” It was all she could not to be bounce in her seat. She loved being partners with Seth.

“No.” He cringed as the sound carried through the open window of the car. He quickly lowered his voice and turned to face her. “No.” He repeated more quietly. “This isn’t a job. It’s where you leave.”

A sound, part shock and part wounded animal escaped her. “I don’t want to leave. We’re partners, Seth.” She stared at him waiting for confirmation. “I’m learning and I’m getting better at it every day. You said so.”

He couldn’t deny what she said was the truth but it was a sad truth. Kate deserved more than to be a criminal wanted by the law. She deserved better. “This is no life for you, Kate.”

“But...” She looked at him from beneath her lashes, her voice soft as she whispered, “I’m in love with you, Seth.”

 _Oh, God. His heart started beating rapidly as his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t deny that deep down inside he had wanted this, wanted her to love him. But he knew it wasn’t right. She deserved someone better._ He shook his head. “You can’t love me, Kate. You just can’t.”

“Why not?” Kate willed away the tears that threatened. She would be damned if she cried in front of him.

A deep sigh escaped him. “Because damn it, I’m no good for you.” His hands itched to touch her but somehow he resisted the urge. “I can’t give you what you need. I can’t be the man for you.”

She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Sh... shouldn’t I get to decide what’s best for me?”

Seth shook his head and pretended not to notice the pain she was trying so valiantly not to let him see. “Not this time. I wish I could....” 

“I get it. You don’t love me.” _But maybe he could in time._ “Could you learn to love me? I could..” Even as the words left her mouth Kate called herself all kinds of a fool. If he had loved her he would never let her go.

 _Didn’t love her? Was she out of her mind? He loved more than he had ever loved anyone in his life. But it didn’t change anything. Sometimes love wasn’t enough._ “Don’t, Kate, please.” Seth took a deep breath. She would never know how much this was killing him. But he didn’t have a choice he had to let her go no matter how much every cell in his body was screaming at him to hold onto her. He placed a wad of rolled money in a backpack and handed it to her.

“Seth?” She willed him to look at her but he steadfastly refused.

Seth knew he was a fucking idiot it would only make leaving her harder but he couldn’t resist touching her one last time. He slowly caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. It wasn’t the way he wanted to but it would have to do. He took a deep breath, dropped his hand before he leaned across her and opened the door. His breath caught in his throat at the feel of her breasts brushing against his arm. Seth quickly sat up straight. “I’m sorry, Kate.”

There was nothing left to say. He had made his mind up. Her hands clenched the backpack as she slid out of the car. With her heart breaking in two she shut the door on the love of her life. 

“Goodbye.” He wanted her to remember him because for as long as he lived he would never forget her but he hoped with all of his heart that she could forget him and move on with her life. Without another word Seth revved the engine before putting it in gear and speeding off.

Silently tears began to fall down her cheeks as she stood and watched him drive away.

 

 

An hour and a half later Seth pulled up in front of the motel where his brother stood waiting for him.

“You know check out was over an hour ago?” Richie glared at his brother as he tossed the bags in the backseat before sliding into the passenger seat. “Where’s Kate?” He didn’t give Seth a chance to answer. “You did something stupid, didn’t you?” Richie glanced over at his brother, the clenched jaw, the fingers gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white gave proof to his words. When Seth didn’t answer he continued, “What did you do, Seth?”

Seth tried to ignore the lump in his throat as he swallowed hard. “What I had to do.” 

Richie rolled his eyes. He would have never pegged his brother for a martyr. _Why in the hell would he start now?_ “Bullshit.” 

He blinked and glanced over at his brother before focusing on the road. “What do you mean bullshit? I didn’t have a choice. It’s what I had to do.”

“Uh huh.” Richie was positive if he rolled his eyes any harder they were going to be stuck that way. “And again I say bullshit.”

“Listen, Richie.” Seth growled in warning. “I don’t give a flying fuck what you think so why don’t you just shut the fuck up and...”

At the look on Seth’s face he knew his brother was coming to the end of his tether but Richie didn’t give a damn. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. “What in the fuck did you do?” He paused for a moment and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You left her, didn’t you? What the hell happened?” 

The tires squealed as Seth sharply turned the steering wheel to the right and the car slide off the side of the road. _Fuck! He didn’t want to talk about this shit but Richie was like a fucking dog with a bone and he knew he wouldn’t let it go._ He hit the wheel with his fists. “She said she was in love with me. There are you fucking happy now?”

His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Let me get this straight, Seth. Kate tells you that she’s in love with you and your answer is to leave her?” _What the hell was wrong with his brother?_

Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s not exactly the...” _Damn. From an outsider’s point of view that was exactly what happened._ “She can’t love me. I’m no good for her.”

“Oh. Is that right?” Richie pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “So tell me how are you going to feel when she does fall for someone else? When there’s another man who’s taking what you’ve turned down; holding her, loving her, sliding his dick into...”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Richie! Just shut the fuck up.” His body trembled with barely controlled rage. The thought of Kate with someone else was almost more than he could stand.

“Why did you let her go?”

He took a deep breath. “Because contrary to popular belief I am not a fucking bastard.”

Richie’s brow furrowed. _What the fuck was his brother talking about?_ But then it dawned on him. “She’s over eighteen.”

“I know that.” Seth stared at Richie. “Don’t you think I know that? But she’s still so young. And this life isn’t.... She shouldn’t have to live like this. She doesn’t deserve it.”

“What about you, Seth? What do you want?”

Seth couldn’t help but notice that his brother hadn’t asked what he deserved. There was no point. They both knew the answer to that one. “You want to know what I want?”

He nodded his head. “Yes.”

“I want Kate. I want her with me.” Seth took a deep breath. “I want to deserve her love but I’m just me, one of the Gecko brothers and I’ll never change.”

Richie had had enough of Seth’s self-loathing. “You want to know what I want?”

 _Not really but he feared Richie was going to tell him anyway so he might as well get it over with._ “Sure.”

“What I want is...” Richie stared into Seth’s eyes and enunciated each word carefully. “I want my brother to grow a pair, quit whining about letting her go and go after the woman he wants.” 

“Damn it, Richie, I already told you...”

He quickly interrupted before Seth could finish speaking. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re not good enough for her. She deserves better. You’re a bad, bad man. Blah, blah, blah.” Just as Seth was beginning to see red Richie quickly added, “But you forgot one.”

“Yeah? What?” Seth snapped at Richie.

“Kate didn’t fall in love with a _good_ man. She fell in love with you.” Richie paused to give enough time for his words to sink in before he continued, “Don’t you think if she wanted the safe, white picket fence world she wouldn't have fallen in love with you?”

All the air he hadn’t even known he was holding escaped Seth as stared in open mouth shock at his brother. He had never thought of it like that. _Knowing that he wasn’t a good man Kate loved him anyway._ He had to go after her and he prayed like hell he wasn’t too late. “Richie, I...”

“I know. I’m a fucking genius.” Richie tapped Seth’s shoulder with his fist. “Let’s go get your woman back.” As Seth started the engine he couldn’t resist adding, “And Seth this time....”

Seth quickly cut in. “Don’t worry. I’m not ever going to let her go again.” 

Without another word he put the car in gear. This time he was holding onto her for good.


End file.
